The South American spectacled bear gets its name from the individual markings around their eyes. Endangered due to habitat changes, the bears live in the dry coastal deserts, rainforests and alpine areas above 4000 meters in Venezuela, Colombia, Ecuador, Bolivia, and Peru.

This bear is being held for observation before being fitted with a monitor colar and returned to the wild from a wildlife refuge near Yanahurco, Ecuador.

Browse through the resources for Land Creatures for more information about these bears and other wildlife of South America.

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Photo displayed with the kind permission of Fernando Cobo P. of Refugio Yanahurco, Ecuador